


Plushie

by ScarlettWallflower



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, meet ugly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 13:16:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8892208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarlettWallflower/pseuds/ScarlettWallflower
Summary: From the tumblr prompt "Please don't tell anyone that I carry around a stuffed animal with me and even talk to it"
Timo expected to have a quiet, boring night of studying. What he didn't expect was to be comforting a hulking, attractive stranger and his little stuffed lion.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to my tumblr account
> 
> Written because who doesn't love some hurt!Sweden/comforting!Finland? And I chose the stuffed lion for Berwald because he's "The Lion of the North" ;) 
> 
> On names: I named him Johannes because I knew a Swedish guy named Johannes and it's a semi-popular Swedish name. Eduard is Estonia and Jan is the human name I chose for Netherlands
> 
> Oh, and since this is my first SuFin fic, I'll go ahead and mention that I use Timo rather than the popular Tino. Timo is a shortened form of Timothy and is actually a Finnish name. Tino is likely just a mis-translation from Japanese
> 
> Reviews/comments/whatever are always appreciated.

The autumn wind sent dry leaves scraping against the concrete as Eduard and Timo walked through the commons to the campus library. 

“And he actually did it! He really drank the whole thing. I still can’t believe that one person could consume that much alcohol in one sitting.” Eduard shook his head, marveling at his own story of his roommate’s drunken antics.

Timo laughed, “Wow, that’s crazy. I wonder what that’s doing to his liver.”

“No telling. Hey, do you think they’ll give me straight A’s for the semester if he dies of alcohol poisoning?”

“Eduard, jeez! I know you’re stressed about exams, but there’s no need to wish for such things.” Much as he admired his friend’s intellect, Timo was sometimes horrified by Eduard’s unfailing pragmatism.

He shrugged. “You’re probably right. I think they only do that if the other guy kills himself.”

The library stood proudly before them, its fluorescent lights telling of flurried, caffeine-fueled activity that would last well into the morning.

Timo sighed, mentally preparing himself for at least two grueling hours of studying for his history exam.

“Hey, Timo, I’ve got to get back to the dorm. I’m afraid I left my door unlocked and Jan might let someone use it to have sex in.”

“Okay, good luck protecting your territory,” Timo called wearily.

Eduard began sprinting away, yelling over his shoulder, “We should meet up for lunch tomorrow! Be at the dining hall at eleven.”

Timo had half a mind to warn Eduard to study rather than spend his time plotting Jan’s death but by the time he had turned in his direction, Eduard was already out of earshot.

With a fortifying breath, Timo marched through the automatic doors.

The first floor was full of people milling around, probably waiting for study rooms to open up. Timo had expected as much and jogged up to the next floor.

Every computer and table was full of people eating, sleeping, arguing, or throwing paper wads at each other over the computer partitions.  
Irritating, but also not unexpected. The second floor always had a bunch of people in it. Luckily, there were no computers on the third floor, just tables and chairs for studying.

Timo climbed up the next flight of stairs, trying to motivate himself with the thought of a comfy armchair, maybe even a footrest, where he could calmly rewrite his notes and make his flashcards in peace.

When he reached the third floor, however, his hopes were swiftly dashed. People. Everywhere. He walked in a circle around the entire floor, praying to find even one unoccupied seat. In the rooms containing the arm chairs, there was a butt in every seat and kids in sleeping bags on the floor. One particularly inconsiderate group had pulled together four tables and set out what looked like a buffet of chinese food for themselves.

The need for blood was rising. The library only contained one more floor and if this too was taken up by jerks who were using the library for their own personal hangout spot, Timo was going to go berserk. Like, full-on viking, pillage-the-town-and-run-someone-through-with-a-broadsword berserk.

With a grip on the handrail that could easily strangle someone, Timo made his way up to the final floor. He furrowed his brow, prepared to go completely batshit insane, and then…

It was silent, except for the whirring of air in the vents. There was no one up there but him.

Timo imagined the Hallelujah Chorus being sung triumphantly and gave a quiet chuckle of victory.

There were no arm chairs on this floor but Timo decided he would take what he could get and began unpacking his things at a nearby table.

For the next hour, he worked diligently. His notes were all recopied in different colored pens and much neater handwriting than they were originally written. A stack of flashcards was made. He could give someone an intelligent answer as to what the Meiji period was rather than assuming that it was a time in which a fancy Japanese tea was popular!

Happy with his progress, Timo rubbed at his tired eyes and rested his head on his arms for a quick nap. He shut his eyes, relaxing to the sound of his own breathing and the metallic buzzing of the lights and air conditioning. He felt his body growing limp, almost asleep… wait, what the hell was that noise?

Timo shot up, head whipping from right to left in a way reminiscent of a meerkat. He couldn’t see anyone. The sound wasn’t coming any closer.

He supposed it wasn’t absurd to think that someone else had come up to the fourth floor as well. But he was sitting close to the staircase and elevator. Surely he would have seen or heard this person enter?

Timo considered going back to sleep. After all, it wasn’t like he was in any danger. It was probably just someone who wanted a quiet place to study, the same as him. It sounded to him like a deep, male voice was talking, but it was subdued. This other person wasn’t harming anyone. He laid his head back down and chalked his paranoia up to lack of sleep and too much coffee.

There was a sudden gasp. What if the other guy was being horrifically murdered? Timo was about to book it for the stairs when he heard something else.  
It wasn’t a gasp of terror… it was a sob. This person, whoever he was, was crying.

Timo did not consider himself a nosy person. In fact, he prided himself on minding his own business at all possible opportunities. But there was something so pitiful about a guy sitting in an abandoned library floor and crying, Timo had to at least try to help.

Not even daring to breathe loudly for fear of drowning out the faint noise, he carefully followed the sound of the weepy voice.

“...Just don't know what I'm gonna do. I can't tell Mom, she'll want me to go to school back home. ‘S just hard being on my own.”

As Timo approached, he immediately began wondering if he had fallen asleep and was actually dreaming. The scene before him was too surreal. 

A guy. A huge, hulking guy that looked like he could easily pick Timo up and throw him through the nearest wall. He was sitting on the floor with his knees to his chest. Timo took a moment out of his shock to briefly admire the rather tight blue jeans the guy had on and the way they emphasized his shapely behind. 

He was crying. Not just suppressed manly tears, but full-on blubbering. His lower lips was quivering, his nose was running, and his glasses had been pushed out of the way to allow his tears to flow freely. 

But perhaps most bizarre of all was what he was holding in his paw-like hands. A stuffed animal. A small lion with a blue and gold ribbon tied around its neck.  
The guy rubbed at his eyes with his wrist and adjusted his glasses to their proper place. With a doleful expression, he stroked the lion’s mane using just the tip of his index finger.

Timo felt his heart breaking. This huge stranger seemed so vulnerable and sad. What had happened to him that he was sitting by himself in a library talking to a stuffed animal? Normally, the whole situation might have been comical but Timo couldn't bear the thought of laughing at the poor boy’s misery. 

Deciding that he should at least try to comfort him, Timo gently cleared his throat and stepped closer to the boy.

The poor guy’s head shot up so quickly upon hearing Timo he actually knocked it back in the metal bookshelf behind him.

“Oh no, are you alright?” Timo crouched down beside the boy and reached towards his head.

When their eyes met, Timo instantly regretted coming over. The look on the boy’s face could only be described as mortified. His mouth was hanging slightly open in horror and he was blinking so furiously Timo feared he might start crying all over again. He hadn't meant to embarrass this guy, he just wanted to help. Timo wondered if he should just cut his losses, haul ass back to his dorm room, and try desperately to forget any of this ever happened.

“Please don't tell anyone,” the boy choked out in a high-pitched, pleading voice.

“I- I won't. But why-”

“I don't have any friends here and there's no one I can talk to. I know I look stupid but this is the first time I've been away from home and…” he paused to take a shuddering breath, “I'm just havin’ a hard time.”

Timo forced himself to break eye contact with the guy. Those eyes of his were just beautiful but they were so intense and Timo didn't know what to say or how to make anything better.

When he looked down at the floor, he realized that in the commotion, the little lion had been dropped. Timo picked it up with great care and dusted it off, combing down the mane with his fingers.

“What's his name?”

“Johannes,” the boy muttered, head hanging drown in shame.

A Swede, I should have known, Timo thought with an amused smile. Timo adjusted the ribbon, now realizing that it was supposed to be the Swedish flag, and said, “And what's your name?”

He looked up at Timo, fear still in his eyes. 

“Berwald.”

“That's an interesting name. I would've guessed something more… Scandinavian.”

Berwald shrugged. “My mom used to live in Stockholm and there's a place there called Berwald park. That's where she met my dad and I guess she used to go there a lot when she was pregnant with me.”

Timo smiled. “I like it, I think it suits you.”

He watched Berwald adjust his glasses and dry his eyes on the hem of his shirt. Timo remembered that he was just going to go back to an empty dorm room once he had finished studying. And so would Berwald. There was really no reason for either of them to be alone.

With a brisk, cheerful sigh, Timo got to his feet and said, “Well I'm really hungry and I know this great pizza joint right down the road. I think tonight they have a special where you get a large pizza and a pitcher of beer for ten dollars. I don't know about you, but I could definitely use a drink. How does that sound?”

Berwald pressed his lips together, looking down at his shoes as if they would provide an answer.

“Come on Berwald,” Timo sing-songed, “Johannes wants to go.” He moved the little lion up Berwald’s arm and made it kiss him on the cheek. It was barely there, easy to miss, but Berwald’s mouth turned up into a cautious but hopeful smile. 

“Kay.”

Timo offered a hand to help Berwald up and he was delighted to see how surprised Berwald was that he was strong enough to pull him to his feet.

“Just let me get my books and we'll go. I want to hear the story of how you got Johannes,” he handed the lion back to his owner with a final pat to his fuzzy head.

Timo led the way to his table but he couldn't resist the urge to glance back at his new friend. Berwald gave a surreptitious kiss to Johannes’ head and tucked him safely down into his backpack.


End file.
